Thursday, July 27, 2017

Insurers Tell Republicans "Skinny Repeal" Will Have Bad Consequences

The Association of Health Insurance Providers is letting the Senate know the "skinny repeal" proposal being floated by pond scum Sen. Mitch "Missy" McConnell (R- Swamp) is a loser. Republican sociopaths are trying to use this as a vehicle for kicking the can to a conference committee with the crazies in the House. The main features of the "skinny repeal" are purported to be elimination of the individual and employer mandates, and elimination of the medical devices tax. Here's part of their letter (pdf):

The mid-August deadline for finalizing 2018 premiums is rapidly approaching, yet significant uncertainties remain. This continued uncertainty – combined with targeted proposals that would eliminate key elements of current law without new stabilizing solutions – will not solve the problems in the individual market, and in fact will result in higher premiums, fewer choices for consumers, and fewer people covered next year. We would oppose an approach that eliminates the individual coverage requirement, does not offer alternative continuous coverage solutions, and does not include measures to immediately stabilize the individual market. [snip]

... But policies that do not stabilize the market and simply drop incentives for people to buy coverage will repeat what we have seen in the past: premiums will rise rapidly, few or no affordable coverage options will be available, and more people will be uninsured....

On those points, the Congressional Budget Office has said a "skinny repeal" of the type being proposed would result in a 20 percent hike in premiums across the board and increase the number of Americans without health insurance by 16 million over 10 years. In other words, RepublicansDon't Care.

Pressure points seem to be Sens. Heller (NV), Capito (WV), and Portman (OH). The Republican governors of Heller's and Portman's states have sent a letter warning the Senate not to pass the "skinny repeal." Normally, that should provide some political cover for these cowards, but these are not normal times, and these are not normal cowards.

If you live in Nevada, Ohio or West Virginia, please call and let your voice be heard: vote no on the "skinny repeal." Here are some contact points (and thank you!):Senator Dean Heller (NV)